Ventilator.



DE KERNIA J. T. HIETT.

VENTILATOR.

,1912. 1,053,507, Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

'2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

DE KERNIA J. T. HIETT.

VENTILATOR.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN.B,101Z.

1 53,507. Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

DE ,KERNIA J. '1. HIETT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VENTILATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

Application filed January 6, 1912. Serial No. 669,889.

To all whom it may concern 4 Be it known that I, DE KERNIA J. T. HInT'r, a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ventilators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to ventilators, and particularly to ventilators of the eduction class, in which the foul air is drawn or induced to flow outwardly from the building or rooms in the building to be ventilated.

In buildings such as houses or oflice buildings, where there are a great many rooms, ventilators of the class referred to will act to draw out the foul air from the various rooms in which they are installed, if there are no disturbing conditions. However, where there are many rooms the pressure conditions are oftentimes disturbed, as for example, when doors or windows are opened in one room the pressure conditions will be seriously disturbed in the rooms provided with ventilators, and the pressure in these rooms is so reduced that instead of the air being drawn out of the roomsthrough the ventilators air'will be drawn into the room through the ventilators.

One of the main objects of my invention is, therefore, to provide a, construction for preventing such reversal of flow through the ventilators, and I preferably provide check valve mechanism of simple construction which will allow ready out-flow of air from the room through the ventilators, but which will prevent inflow of air into the room "through the ventilators. It also very often -happens that where the wind is blowing very strongly too much air will be withdrawn from the room so that the temperature of the room cannot be maintained, and another object of my invention is, therefore,

' to also provide check valve mechanism for preventing any outflow from the room he- Other objects of the invention are to proyond a certain predetermined rate, and I preferably utilize simple check valve mechanism for preventing inflow through the ventilator and for preventing outflowthrough the -ventilator when" the eductive force reaches a. certain predetermined maximum.

" vide improved construction for ventilator units, and to provide improved arrangement of such units' on the ventilatorstrum ture, so that full advanta e can be taken of air currents in various irections.

A further object is to' rovide acommon check valve mechanism or all the various units of a ventilator structure. I

The various features of the invention will be clearly understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective elevational view of one end of a ventilator structure, showing particularly the arrangement of the ventilating units. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one end of the ventilator structure, showing particularly the arrangement of the check valve mechanism. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on plane 33, Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on plane 4-4, Fig. 3.

Describing first the ventilator units, each unit comprises a rectangular frame 5 of sheet metal having the flange 6 atone end, by means of which. it ma be secured to a support, and in two of tie op osite walls of the rectangular frame 5 V-s aped slots 7 are cut, the inner edges of which slots are engaged by the trough 8, the outer edges of this trou h terminating in the same plane and parallel with the adjacent edges of the frame 5, these edges forming between them the narrow restricted outlet throats 10 and 10. Secured in said trough are two V- shaped plates 11 and 12 which extend from the outer ends of the trough and toward each other up to Within a short distance of the outer edges of the trough to form a restricted outlet throat 13, which is at right angles with the outlet throats 10 and 10'. The walls of the trough 8 between the plates 11 and 12 are provided with openings or passageways 14 for connecting the interior of the frame 5 with the compartment between the trough walls and the plates 11 and 12. The apexes of the plates 11 and 12 may be cut away so that when these plates are applied to the troughs the small openings 15 and 16 will remain to establish communication between'the exterior and the compartment between the plates 11 and 12 and the trough walls. Secured at its ends to. the edges of the trough and'extendi'ng over the throat 13 is a plate 17 acting both as a deflector for thelthroat 13 and asa cap for protecting the throat 13' against the' entrance of rain, snow or dirt. The outlets wand 10' are also coveredover by plates- 18 and 18' suitably secured to the The plates'17, 18 and 18 are a suflicient distance'away from their respective outlets to allow free sweep of air at right angles across the outlets, but are close enough to the outlets so that air blowing at an angle toward the outlets will be deflected by the plates to flow across the outlets.

The operation of each unit will be clearly understood. If the unit just described is placed with its base or flange 6 about an opening leading to a compartment to be ventilated with the outletends of the unit extending into the atmosphere in the path of air. currents, the tendency will be for the unit, to educe or draw air out of the coinpart-ment on account of the suction efi'ect created by the passage of air across the outlets. No matter which way the wind blows across these outlets or against the outer rim or 'faces of the unit there will always be eductive efl'ect and not inductive efi'ect. Supposing the wind blows directly transversely across the outlets 1.0 and 10. These outlets being so narrow there will be no tendency for the air to flow into the outlets and into the compartment to be ventilated, but the air will arc across the narrow outlets, and in so doing will create vacuum within the unit and will cause air to be drawn out ofthe compartment or room to be ventilated. In the same manner, it the air blows transversely across the outlet 13 vacuum effect will be created at the interior of the unit, and air will be withdrawn from the room. Any air striking the inclined plates 11 and 12 will be deflected upwardly against the plate 17 and deflected by this plate across the narrow outlet 13. If the air now blows directly against the outlet end of the unit,-that is, if the air blows against the unit in a direction at right angles to the plates 17, 18 and 18 there will still be eductive effect, and the harder the blow of the air against the unit in this direction the greater will be the eductive effect. The air will strike the inclined plates 11 and 12 and also the inclined surfaces of the trough, and eductive effect will be created at the outlets 13, 10 and 10'. and also at the small outlet opcnings 15 andlti. Thus no matterin which direction the wind strikes the unit the result. will be eductive effect on the interior of the unit and the room to be ventilated, so that air will always be drawn out" of the room.

Any number of units may of course be used for building up aventilat'or structure, and. any combination of such units may he resorted to. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a number of units have been grouped on a board 19 adapted to be inserted in a window opening, as by being placed between the window sash and its frame at the .upper part of the window opening. This board is pro vided with a plurality of openings 20, over each one of which a unit is secured. As shown, the units may be applied in groups of four, two of the units having their outletsat right angles to the corresponding outlets of the other two units, so that no matter in what direction the wind blows the group of units'will be able to most efficiently take advantage thereof.

So long as the eductive effect of the ventilator structure can overcome the pressure in the room air will flow out of the room through the ventilator units, and this is usually the case. However, it very often happens, particularly in buildings where a number of rooms are each provided with ventilators, that there will be a strong back pressure, as for example, where windows are open in one room and the door then opened of a room provided with 'a ventilator. There may be a sudden rush of air from the room, and the pressure will be so reduced in the room that. the eduction effect of the ventilators will be overcome and air will flow into the room through the ventilators, and

the room will become suddenly chilled. To prevent any such back flow through the ventilators into the room I provide check valve mechanism, such as shown in Figs. 2 and. 3.

On the board 19 which mounts the ventilator units I provide a peripheral flange 21 for receiving the board 22, the boards 19 and 22 and the flange 21 forming a vacuum suction chamber 23. The board 22 is provided with a plurality of openings 24, the board being preferably in the form of grille-work, as shown in Fig. 2.. The various openings in the board 22 are controlled by flap valves 25 i suitably suspended within the chamber 23. As shown, two such valves are provided, the upper valve being pivotally hung from pins or staples 26 at the upper part of the chamber 23, and the lower flap 25' is pivotally suspended from pins or staples 27 driven into the inner face of the board 22 below the lower end of the top valve 25. These valves may be of any suitable material, such as oil-cloth, so that they can readily follow the various air currents passing through the chamber 23. When the ventilator is in place the grille board 22 faces the room to be ventilated, while the units mounted on the board 19-extend out into the open. Under normal conditions the eduction effort of the ventilator units will overcome the pressure in the room, and the air will be, drawn out of the room, the valves 25 and 25' freely alof cold air.

lowing such outflow. Should, however, the 1 pressure conditions be ofiset so that the presup which, unless restrained, would quickly cause enough air to be drawn out of the room to chill the room. To prevent this the valves 25 and 25 are so hung that'they can also flap against the openings 20 in the board 19 if the ednctive flow becomes too great. Under normal conditions the valves will not restrict the flow through the open-V ings 20, but if the eductive flow be increased sufiiciently, then the valves will be drawn toward the openings 20 and will more or less close these openings to more or less restrict the eductive flow, and thus to prevent undue outflow from the room.

I thus provide ventilator mechanism whiclrunder ordinary conditions will operate to expel the foul air from the top of the room to purify the air in the room withoutconflicting with the temperature thereof, yet which under extraordinary conditions of pressure or wind velocity or blow will automatically check the flow out of or into the room through the ventilator, so as to prevent sudden temperature fluctuations in the room.

I do not desire to be limited to the recise construction and arrangement which have shown and described, as modifications both inconstruction and arrangement are possible which would still come within the scope of the invention, and I claim the following:

1. In ventilator mechanism, the combination of walls forming a compartment, inlet and outlet openings provided in said walls r for said compartment, an eduction unit connected with each outlet opening for me at-ing vacuum efi'ect in said compartment,

and check valve mechanism in said compartment. adapted to operate to prevent at all times any outflow from said compartment through the inlet openings and to check the outflow through said outlet openings when the eductive efl'ect exceeds a certain pridet-ermined' amount. 1.

2. In a ventilator, the combination of walls formin a rectangularcompartment, the inner wal of said compartment being provided with intake ports, and the outerwall of said compartment being provided with outlet ports, ventilator induction units mounted on said outer wall and connected with said outlet ports, and check valve mechanism within said compartment adapted to operate to prevent at all times anv back flow from said compartment through the inlet ports, said check valve mechanism allowing under normal conditions unrestricted flow from said chamber and through the ventilator'eduction units, but said check valve mechanism being adapted to operate under abnormal conditions to regulate the outflow from said compartmentand through said outlet. ports and ventilator and educt-ion units.

3. In an ednction ventilator unit, the combination of a rectangular body part of'sheet metal having bifurcate ends terminatlng in narrow outlet throats, walls secured between said bifurcate ends and terminating in a narrow out-let throat at right angles with the first-mentioned outlet throats. and communicating with the interior of the body part, and a deflector plate adjacent each outlet throat.

4. In a ventilator unit, the combination of a rectangular body part of sheet metal having V-shaped slots out in two of ts opposite sides, a V-shaped trough engaging 1n said slots, and the ends of said trough forming with the adjacent ends of said body part narrow out-let throats, V-shaped plates secured diagonally in said trough with their upper edges forming an outlet throat atright angles to the first-mentioned outletthroats, openings through the trough walls through which said second-mentioned outlet throat may communicate with the interior of the body part, and a deflector plate mounted adjacent each outlet throat.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 14th day of December, A. D. 1911.

DE KE RNIA J. T. HIETT.

Witnesses CHARLES J. SCHMIDT, NELLIE B.'-DEARBORN 

